Present Participle

Question

Hi,It is estimated that during the 1980’s approximately $50 billion in private investment capital left Mexico, adding to the strain on the country’s debt-ridden economy.The present participle "adding" modifies "investment captial left" than "investment capital". That means it modifies "clause" than "noun" to act as "adjective".  I am confused. Can anyone please shed some light.Thanks

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Hi Sgofpl,

I can't illucidate but I too am confused. I've often seen these analyses offered, seemingly as options, where something is said to modify the whole phrase or clause rather than a particular word. I'm looking forward to some learned opinions.

Your use of "than" is not typical. Do you mean, "rather than" or "first A, then B"?

My only comment on the example itself is that once you start playing this game, you can say that a whole phrase or clause is acting as a noun, so its modifiers would act as adjectives. But I really get the sense from this example that "adding" modifies everything which comes before it in the sentence.

Regards, - A.

Yankee · Answer

It is estimated that during the 1980’s approximately $50 billion in private investment capital left Mexico, adding to the strain on the country’s debt-ridden economy.

In a participial clause beginning with a present participle, the participle can be used instead of a relative pronoun and an active verb.
In your sentence, you could easily replace 'adding' with 'which added'. The clause is a non-defining one. It adds information to an entire idea -- the idea that 'during the 1980’s approximately $50 billion in private investment capital left Mexico'.

Avangi · Answer

Thanks, Amy.  That's very clear.

Present Participle

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